Method of gravure reproduction



Aug 22, 1961 J. G. coNsAuL ETAI. 2,997,392

METHOD OF' GRAVURE REPRODUCTION Filed Dec. 19, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2 ,9 20

I ENs, INCLUDING /4 AuxILIARY scREEN 5 APPARATUS HALFToNE 72 l A' SCREEN 22 /5 4 coPY To BE REPRoDucED l2 REsIsT oN coNTRoLLED f6 vAcuuM BACK LIGHT SOURCE INVENTORS: JOHN G. CONSAUL EDWIN VELTEN Aug- 22, 1961 J. G. coNsAUL ErAL 2,997,392

METHOD OF GRAVURE REPRODUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 19, 1957 PAPER PROOF STRIP FIG.6

HIGHLIGHTS SHADOW HIGHLIGHTS FIG.8

HIGHLIGHTS SHADOW FIG.9

HIGHLIGHTG FIG. IO

SHADOW INVENTORS:

JOHN G. CONSAUL EDWIN VELTEN United States Patent O 2,997,392 METHOD OF GRAVURE REPRODUCTION John G. Consaul, Bayonne, and Edwin Veltin, Gladstone, NJ., assignors to Art Color Printing Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 19, 1957, Ser. No. 703,830 8 Claims. (Cl. 96--36) This invention relates to a method of gravure reproduction and, more particularly, to a method of eliminating many operations now necssary in the handling and use of materials to make a resist to be transferred onto the copper plate or cylinder in the making of monotone and color gravure.

In all methods now in use, a tone positive must be made from the subject or copy. A screen formation then must be introduced in various ways, depending on which gravure method is used, such as conventional, Dultgen, Gresham, Alco, or Hard Dot. The positives then must be mounted to register. Registered positives are now printed in contact frame onto a resist. Said resist is then transferred onto a cylinder or plate, and the latter is developed and etched in the usual method.

In the instant method, the copy or subject is photographed directly on a gravure resist film that is properly lugged in the vacuum back of the gravure camera. If a retouched transparent positive is supplied, it is mounted on the lugs of a positive holder in front of the lens and photographed directly onto the resist in the same way.

The resist employed is a iilm that has lug-holes punched in one marginal edge, which holes fit on correspondingly spaced lugs in the vacuum back of the camera as well as on the lugs of the cylinder or plate. This eliminates the usual mounting previously used aud permits the resist to be transferred in register directly from the camera to the printing cylinder or plate.

The mounting of all former methods is a time-consuming operation that requires a high degree of skill. The instant method, while preserving the advantages of our former method, disclosed in our pending application Serial No. 524,458 with respect to increased tonal range, by eliminating all previous mounting, effects a marked economy in time and labor. It also eliminates the usual carbon printing in the contact frame of tone positive and introduced screen onto the resist as used in the abovementioned prior methods.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of the invention. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a ow sheet of the method;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation, showing the camera lens and auxiliary screening apparatus partly in section, of the step of photographically reproducing the copy directly on the resist;

FIG. 3 is a face view of the resist having lug-holes punched in one marginal edge;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the camera lens and auxiliary screening apparatus with the latter set to 45 angle;

FIG. 5 is a similar view showing the auxiliary screening apparatus set at a 90 angle;

FIG. 6 is a representation of a proof on a strip of paper showing how in the practice of our method the dots or circles are completely silhouetted;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are illustrations indicating that by the practice of our method the appearance, density, and tonal range of the darker dots may be changed; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are similar views showing how by our method the range of the highlight may be controlled.

In the practice of our method, we employ a light sensitive silver resist 10, preferably an orthochromatic silver chloro-brornide resist such as is known in the trade as gravure resist lm. Two or more lug-holes 11 are ICC punched in a marginal edge of the resist 10. The resist is placed on lugs 12 projecting forward from the vacuum back 13 of a conventional process camera. A conventional half-tone screen 14 is supported in the camera in front of the resist, and an angularly adjustable auxiliary screen 15 is mounted in the lens assembly 16 of the camera. The auxiliary screen 15 is of the type disclosed in our Patent No. 2,703,281, comprising la disk having two series of like members of circular openings 17 arranged in two rows that cross at a right angle about a common center opening 18, which opening is in line with the axisof the lens. An arm or pointer 19 is secured to the disk so that the latter may be adjusted in various angular positions designated by the gradations on the face of the `guide plate 20. ln FIG. 4, the auxiliary screen `15 is shown as set at an `angle of 45, and in FIG. 5 as set at for the purpose hereinafter described.

21 indicates the copy or subject matter to be photographed on the resist 10. The copy is set up in front of the camera and is illuminated by a suitable controlled Ilight source 22. The copy may be tone positives, or transparencies, in which case it is desirable to employ a cold cathode light as the source of illumination. Where regular reflective copy is to be photographed on the resist, usual arc lights are used. For best results the light reading at the positive or copy, as read on a light meter, should be 60 candle power. As the light source is connected to a light integrator (not shown), we are able to secure a `steady illumination at all times. Any half-tone screen may be used at its prescribed distance. As we employ a steady light source, we are able to use a set chart of exposures to obtain any desired results as set forth, for instance, in the following examples:

Example 1 To obtain a resist of full range, directly in the vacuum back of the process camera, a circular half-tone 133 line screen, one to one ratio, is positioned in the camera so that the distance from the screen to the resist will be about 1%4. The resist 10 is then placed on the lugs 12 in the vacuum back of the camera, in position to be exposed. The copy or positive 21 is placed in a conventional copy frame or transparency holder. The light source is set at its required reading in readiness to make an exposure.

As the disk 15 of the auxiliary screening apparatus is already positioned in the lens assembly 16, no Stops are necessary. As the lines of the conventional half-tone screen 14 form an angle of 45 used for the black printer, we set the pointer 19 of the auxiliary screening apparatus at the same angle, namely: 45 as shown in FIG. 4, and expose for about two minutes. This puts a gradation of dots on the resist corresponding to the picture.

We then turn the disk of the auxiliary screening apparatus to a 90 angle, as illustrated in FIG. 5, and expose for one minute. This has the effect to drop out or silhouette all areas not needed, as sho-wn on the proof strip illustrated in FIG. 6. Finally, we return the disk of the auxiliary screening apparatus to its original 45 angle and give a flash exposure through the lens of 30 seconds. This gives us the required screen wall in all solid areas.

As the disk of the auxiliary screening apparatus is always perfectly centered with the half-tone screens, the dots are always in perfect shape.

If the subject is monotone, we remove the resist and develop it, preferably in an automatic developing machine, with a suitable developer for the particular type of resist employed. After washing and drying, we are able to read the resist on a densitometer to check dot formation and density. The proven resist is then transferred to the copper plate or cylinder, using the preformed lug holes 11 to lit the resist on the cylinder or plate in perfect registration. The plate or cylinder is then developed and etched in the usual manner.

Where the copy to be lreproduced is in color, we remove the resist from the lugs in the vacuum frame of the camera for development and proceed to expose the blue, red and yellow resists at their proper screen angles, moving the auxiliary screening apparatus to match and then cross said angles. The exposure time and procedure 4for each coloi resist is substantially the same as above stated.

Example 2 This is to be used in printing on heayy cardboard employed in the manufacture of cartons or packagings, where a Wide screen wall is needed to permit a very deep etch in the shadow range.

The method used in this example is substantially the same as that in Example l, with the exception that a circular half-tone 120 line screen, one to one ratio, is set at a distance of 2%4 `from screen to resist, and that a llash exposure of one minute is made instead of 30 seconds.

From the 'foregoing description, it will be seen that our improved method olers considerable economies, and reduces the number of operations required, over traditional methods.

The result of the method is the production of a resist of fully controlled contrast and opacity With all clear and unwanted areas of the tone positive completely silhouetted` The method eliminates the necessity of mounting the resists yand of making a screen positive from the tone positive. Also, the double printing of the tone positifve and then the screen positive on the carbon tissue or gravure resist film as is now the usual practice is also eliminated.

While We have found that it is desirable to leave the auxiliary screen 15 in the lens 16 at all times, it is to be understood that the auxiliary screen may be withdrawn from the lens and we may initially make an exposure directly through the lens without the auxiliary screen at any indicated diaphragm opening.

As indicated in FIGS. 6 to 10, inclusive, of the drawings, it will be seen that by the practice of our method we are able to vary and control the depth of wall thickness of the cells formed in the copper printing surface and, consequently, to produce dot-s on the printed picture having a tonal range running from about 95 %V shadow down to about highlight.

We claim:

l. The method of forming a screened image of copy to be reproduced on light sensitive material with apparatus comprising a copying camera having a lens assembly, a half-tone screen and an auxiliary screen adapted to be mounted in said lens assembly and having a plurality of light openings arranged in a plurality of substantially straight lines that cross at angles equal to the angles between the opaque lines of said half-tone screen, one said screen being adjustable to a position with respect to the other said screen such that said screens are substantially parallel to each other and said lines of said auxiliary screen are substantially parallel to the opaque lines of said half-tone screen, said method comprising exposing said material once to said copy through said half-tone screen and once to a substantially uniform source of light through both said half-tone screen and said lens assembly with said auxiliary screen therein and `with said screens in said position.

2. The method of forming a screened image of copy to be reproduced on light sensitive material with apparatus comprising a copying camera having a lens assembly, a half-tone screen and an auxiliary screen adapted to be mounted in said lens assembly and having a plurality of light openings arranged in a plurality of substantially straight lines that cross at angles equal to the angles betweenthey opaque lines ofl said half-tone screen, said screens being adjustable totwo positions with respect to each other and being substantially parallel to each other in both said positions, the -lines of said openings of said auxiliary screen being substantially parallel to the opaque lines of said half-tone screen in one of said positions and said lines of said openings in said auxiliary screen. being tilted with respect to the opaque lines of said half-tone screen at an angle substantially equal to onehalf the angle between saidopaque lines inthe other of said positions, said method comprising exposing said material Aat diilerent times to said copy through said halftone screen, to a substantially uniform source of light through both said screens with said auxiliary screen in said one position and in said lens assembly and to said copy through both screens with said auxiliary screenin said other position and in said lens assembly.

3. The method of forming fa screened image of copy to be reproduced on Ia light sensitive material which comprises exposing said material to said copy through the lens assembly of a copying camera and through a half-tone screen, exposing said material to said copy simultaneously. through both said half-tone screen and an auxiliary screen mounted substantially parallelr lwith said half-tone screen and in said lens assembly, said auxiliary screen having a plurality of light openings arranged in two substantially straight lines that cross at right angles and said auxiliary screen also being mounted with the lines of said openings in said auxiliary screen extending at an angle with respect to the opaque lines of said half-tone screen substantially equal to one-half the angle between said opaque lines, and exposing said material to a substantially uniform source of light simultaneously through both said screens with said lines of said openings in said auxiliary screen extending substantially parallel to said opaque lines of said half-tone screen.

4. The method yof forming a screened image of copy to be reproduced on a light sensitive material which comprises exposing said material to said copy through the lens assembly of a copying camera and through a halftone screen, exposing said material to said copy simultaneously through both said half-tone screen and an auxiliary screen mounted substantially parallel with said half-tone screen and in said lens assembly, said auxiliary screen having a plurality of light openings arranged in two substantially straight lines that cross at right angles and said auxiliary screen also being mounted with said lines of openings in said auxiliary screen rotated to a position at a 45 angle with respect to the opaque lines of said half-tone screen, and exposing said material to a substantially uniform source of light simultaneously through both said screens with said lines of openings in said auxiliary screen substantially parallel to said opaque lines.

5. The method of forming a screened image of copy to be reproduced on a light sensitive material which cornprises exposing said material -to said copy for a predetermined time through the lens assembly of a copying camera and through a half-tone screen, exposing said material to said copy for approximately half of said predetermined time simultaneously through yboth said half-tone screen and an auxiliary screen mounted substantially. parallel with saidfhalf-tone screen and in said lens assembly, said auxiliary screen having a plurality of light openings arranged in two substantially straight lines` that cross at right angles and said auxiliary screen also being mounted with said lines of openings in said auxiliary screen at an angle with respect to the opaque lines of said half-tone screen equal to one-half the angle between saidv opaque lines, and exposing said material to a substantially uniform source of light for approximately one-quarter' to one-halfy of said predetermined time simultaneously through both said screens with said lines of said openings in said auxiliary screenk substantially parallel` tothe opaque lines of'said half-tone screen.

6; A method of gravure reproduction by photographically forming a resist` of the subject or copy to be re:

produced directly in a gravure camera having a lens assembly, which comprises illuminating the copy, placing a light sensitive gravure resist film in the camera behind a conventional half-tone screen and an opaque auxiliary screen, said auxiliary screen being mounted in said lens assembly and substantially parallel to said half-tone screen and said auxiliary screen having a plurality of circular openings arranged in two straight lines that cross at right angles and are centered with respect to the half-tone screen, turning the auxiliary screen so that its crossed lines of openings extend substantially parallel to the lines of the half-tone screen and exposing said resist film once to said illuminated copy and once to a uniform source of light, turning the auxiliary screen so -that the lines of openings therein extend at an angle of substantially 45 to the lines of the half-tone screen and giving said resist film a second exposure to said copy, transferring said resist film -to a gravure printing surface, and finally developing and etching said resist film.

7. A method of forming a gravure resist directly in a gravure camera having a lens assembly, which comprises placing a light sensitive gravure resist in the camera and successively exposing the resist a plurality of times, once -to the subject or copy to be reproduced through both a half-tone screen and an opaque auxiliary screen mounted in said lens assembly and substantially parallel to said half-tone screen, said auxiliary screen having a plurality of circular openings arranged in two intersecting straight lines that are centered with respect to the half-tone screen and extend substantially parallel to the lines of the halftone screen, once to said subject or copy through both said half-tone screen and said auxiliary screen with the lines of openings in said auxiliary screen extending at an angle to the lines of said half-tone screen substantially equal to one-half the angle between the lines of said halftone screen, and once to a uniform source of light through both said half-tone and auxiliary `screens with said lines of `openings extending substantially parallel to said lines of said half-tone screen.

8. A method of grav-ure reproduction by photographically forming a resist of the subject or copy to be reproduced directly in a gravure camera having a lens assembly, which comprises illuminating the copy, placing a light sensitive silver halide resist film -in the camera behind a conventional half-tone screen and an opaque auxiliary screen, said auxiliary screen being mounted in said assembly and substantially parallel to said half-tone screen and having a plurality of circular openings arranged in two straight lines that cross at right angles and are centered with respect to the half-tone screen, turning the auxiliary screen to a first position so that its crossed lines of openings extend substantially parallel to the lines of the halftone screen and exposing said resist film to said copy, turning the auxiliary screen so that the lines of openings therein extend at an angle of substantially to the lines of the half-tone screen and giving said resist film a second exposure to said copy, turning the auxiliary screen to said rst position and giving the resist ilm a flash exposure, transferring the resist film to the gravure printing surface, and finally developing and etching the resist.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,182,559 Henderson Dec. 5, 1939 2,239,386 Hoglund Apr. 22, 1941 2,376,596 Huggins May 22, 1945 2,482,638 Schultz et al Sept. 20, 1949 2,596,115 Austin May 13, 1952 2,703,281 Consaul et al Mar. 1, 1955 

1. THE METHOD OF FORMING A SCREENED IMAGE OF COPY TO BE REPRODUCED ON LIGHT SENSITIVE MATERIAL WITH APPARATUS COMPRISING A COPYING CAMERA HAVING A LENS ASSEMBLY, A HALF-TONE SCREEN AND AN AUXILIARY SCREEN ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED IN SAID LENS ASSEMBLY AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF LIGHT OPENINGS ARRANGED IN A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT LINES THAT CROSS AT ANGLES EQUAL TO THE ANGLES BETWEEN THE OPAQUE LINES OF SAID HALF-TONE SCREEN, ONE SAID SCREEN BEING ADJUSTABLE TO A POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER SAID SCREEN SUCH THAT SAID SCREENS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND SAID LINES OF SAID AUXILIARY SCREEN ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE OPAQUE LINES OF SAID HALF-TONE SCREEN, SAID METHOD COMPRISING EXPOSING SAID MATERIAL ONCE TO SAID COPY THROUGH SAID 